


No One Should Be Alone For The Holidays

by PyroKlepto



Category: Galavant (TV)
Genre: Christmas, Fluff, M/M, Richard/Galavant, Richavant - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-27
Updated: 2015-12-27
Packaged: 2018-05-09 17:44:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5549630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PyroKlepto/pseuds/PyroKlepto
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Richard's best friend and roommate, Gareth, is away on a business trip for Christmas, and he is extremely devastated that he will (seemingly) be spending the holidays by himself. But he won't be - not if Galavant has anything to say about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	No One Should Be Alone For The Holidays

**Author's Note:**

> A fic I wrote as one of Grigiocuore's Christmas gifts! Just some more Christmassy fluff, only this particular fic is Richavant and not Rireth. (An equally adorable pairing, in my opinion.) Enjoy!

”But Gaaare,” Richard protested, drawing the shortened version of his best friend and housemate’s name out. “How can I have Christmas without you here?”

“Easy enough,” Gareth responded, still packing his suitcase. “Look, it’s just this one year, all right? Can’t be helped.”

“Can’t your boss man find someone else to go on this business trip?” Richard asked forlornly, lips turning downward in a frown.

“If he could, he wouldn’t have sent me.” Gareth shut the clasps on his suitcase and picked it up. “I’ll be back bright and early on the 26th, upon my honour.” He fixed Richard with as reassuring a look as he could. “You’ll be alright.”

Richard’s face fell despite Gareth’s attempts. “Who’s going to help me put the lights up?” He pouted.

“Oh, you’re convincing enough,” Gareth said, making his way down the hall toward the front door. “I’m sure you can get someone around here to help you. Such as pretty boy down the street; you know, Galavant. He’s a pretty good friend of yours, all things considered.” (And by that, Gareth meant that Richard had a habit of going all doe-eyed around Galavant. Not that he would admit having noticed.) “Now, I gotta go or I’ll miss the plane. Take care of yourself, and don’t forget to eat, y’hear?”

They both knew that when Richard got upset, he often either forgot or point-blank refused to eat. 

Richard moved forward quicker and threw his arms around his housemate. “I’ll miss you, Gare-bear. Come back soon, please.” 

Gareth let his suitcase drop to the ground so he could - albeit gingerly and a bit awkwardly - hug his friend back. “Aye. Now, I’d best be going.”

Richard’s lips trembled, but he managed to keep from bursting into tears. “Merry Christmas, Gare.” 

Gareth looked at him, a softer expression on his face than normally was there. “Merry Christmas. If ya like we can celebrate properly when I get back.” 

Richard nodded vehemently, though secretly he didn’t feel that would be right - it was Christmas Eve, and then Christmas Day; the 24th and the 25th. Celebrating on the 26th would feel strange. Though of course he would do it, because it would feel even stranger not to celebrate the holidays with his lifelong best friend.

And now his friend was gone. He had walked out into the snow, and gotten in the car, and he had left. Now Richard was all alone for Christmas, and there were no lights up, and… 

Richard spent quite some time - an entire two days, in fact - lying around the house in a state of misery. He didn’t forget to eat; though, on the other hand, the only things he ate were sugar cookies left over from when he and Gareth made them, and ice cream straight out of the carton. (Well, and he ate bread and potato chips as well. But that was about it.)

But then, on the second day - the 20th, in fact - of the dreadful loneliness, Richard decided to take matters into his own hands. He couldn’t leave the house unlit for Christmas; so he would put the lights up himself.

He could always ask Galavant for help, of course, like Gareth had suggested. Richard liked Galavant - he had a pretty voice and warm hands and shiny eyes. But as much as Richard desperately wanted to ask him for help, he thought perhaps it would be nice to put the lights up himself - he could do it, he knew he could. He didn’t need help for a simple task such as that! 

So he embarked on his personal adventure. He managed to get the ladder out, and the lights, and even climb right up to the roof. He had seen Gareth do this every year for quite some time - they had been rooming together in the same house for at least seven years, and living in the same area as one another for many decades longer. It couldn’t be that difficult, surely.

In theory, anyway. It was, in reality, quite difficult.

Richard knew how to do it, but the matter of managing to complete his task without mixing it up… not so much. He managed to cover about half the house in lights before realising he was hopelessly tangled.

“Oh, fudge,” Richard said, staring down at the strands of lights twisted around his ankles. He kicked his feet, trying to escape the loops that had ensnared him. Which only succeeded in making him more tangled. 

Becoming more and more distressed, Richard kept trying to get away from the lights. He bent down to try and pull the lights away with his hands; unfortunately, he didn’t realise that in the process of tramping about on the roof trying to disentangle himself, he had ended up on the edge. 

So when he leaned down, he became off-balance. One mis-step later, and suddenly he was tumbling from the roof, wrapped in twinkling multicoloured lights.

He landed hard on the snowy ground, the impact tearing his breath away from him. Tears sprang to his eyes, from the pain, from sheer despondency, and from the fact that Gareth wasn’t here to help. Before he could either regain his composure or start to cry - either one was a likely outcome at this point - Richard heard muted crunching sounds. Footsteps through the snow.

And then suddenly, a familiar bearded face loomed over him. “Richard…? Did you fall off the roof?” The voice - a pleasant and equally familiar voice that gave Richard the warm fuzzies inside - held equal amounts of incredulity and concern. 

“Yes.” Richard stared up at Galavant with a slight pout. “It wasn’t my fault, the lights tangled me up.”

“Then it was their fault,” Galavant replied calmly, without missing a beat. He bent down, taking Richard’s arms and hauling him to his feet. “There you go. Let me see if any bones are broken.” He scanned Richard up and down, then started poking and prodding (gently, of course). Richard giggled when Galavant poked his ribs.

“No, you seem to be fine,” Galavant announced. He glanced up at the roof.

“I managed to get half the lights up,” Richard said, bouncing up and down on his heels. “I only need to get the other half up and then the house will be totally ready for Christmas.”

Galavant paused, looking pensively at the roof. Then he said, “Right, well. Perhaps you could use some help.”

Richard tilted his head upward, considering this. After a moment, he grinned in a hopeful sort of way. “Will you protect me from the lights’ trap, Gal?” 

Galavant chuckled. “Sure. Be careful anyway, though.” 

The two of them ascended the ladder and returned to the roof. Not too long after, the house was decked out in very colourful lights. Richard clapped his hands with glee. “Look, Gal, look at the pretty lights! We did it!” 

“That we did,” Galavant remarked, placing his hands on his hips and surveying their handiwork. “And I, for one, am hungry.”

“I have some ice cream left in the freezer,” Richard said, his face still lit up in a bright grin.

“Mm…” Galavant shook his head. “That sounds delicious, but it’s cold. We should eat something warm.”

“We could put it in the oven and eat melted ice cream!” Richard acted as though it was the best idea in the history of the world.

“How about pizza at my place?” Galavant suggested.

Richard’s grin somehow became even brighter. “Yes!” 

So it was off to Galavant’s house for pizza they went.

 

When Galavant discovered that Richard was spending the holiday season by himself, he made it his mission to visit at least once a day. He had only meant to stop by for an hour or two, but it eventually lengthened to the point where he was spending more than half the day with Richard.

And though he complained about it to Sid and Izzy whenever he saw them… he truly didn’t mind it one bit. He didn’t mind the long rambles Richard went on about gingerbread or fruitcake (which he loved). He didn’t mind the multiple times Richard got all weepy over Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer. He didn’t mind the long hugs, or the way Richard’s eyes went soft and sad whenever Galavant had to go home.

Truth be told, he didn’t mind a single thing about Richard. Yes, he had once hated the man. Somewhere along the line though… they had become close friends.

Though Izzy liked to tell him that she had seen the way he looked at Richard. That she, as a woman with impeccable intuition, knew that it was more than just ‘friends’, even if Galavant didn’t know it himself.

He responded with witty remarks and quick escapes every time.

On Christmas Eve, he had plans to hang out with Izzy and Sid at his house; eat whatever food they felt like, maybe watch a few stupid Christmas films and laugh at them, just relaxed sort of activities. 

He still had those plans, but he kept thinking of Richard - alone at home. It wasn’t anything to do with how he felt about the man; it was common decency. It was a well-known fact how much Richard enjoyed Christmas, and imagining him alone on his favourite holiday was surely enough to make anyone feel terrible.

So Galavant made his decision. Granted, about a half-hour before Sid and Izzy arrived, but he still made his decision. Slipping into his coat and wrapping his scarf around his neck, he walked out into the snow and made his way down the street. 

Just as he reached the front stoop of Richard’s house, snow began to drift down from the sky again. He knocked on the door and waited.

At first, nothing happened. He wondered if maybe Richard had somehow found somewhere to be on Christmas - but then the door swung open and there stood Richard. His eyes were slightly red around the edges and Galavant cringed inwardly. The poor fellow must have been crying at one point or another. 

“Gal!” Richard’s face went from tired and slightly crestfallen to overjoyed in about a millisecond flat. He threw his arms around Galavant, hugging him tightly. 

“Hello, there.” Galavant hugged him back. “Merry Christmas.” 

“Why aren’t you at home?” Richard asked, stepping away and looking wide-eyed at him. “You said you were having friends over.”

“Yes, I did,” Galavant admitted. “And I am. But I could hardly invite them and not you.” He paused. “That is to say, you’re welcome to come, if you want to.”

“Oh, may I really?” Richard exclaimed.

“Of course,” Galavant said. “Get your coat first. It’s cold out and I walked, I didn’t take my car.”

Richard immediately disappeared into the house, returning a few minutes later in a long navy blue coat and white scarf. Galavant started walking back toward the street, and at first he heard Richard following - but then everything went silent.

Galavant turned around to check on the other man… only to be smacked in the shoulder with a snowball, which was closely accompanied by Richard’s laughter. 

“Oh, is that what we’re playing at now?” Galavant said, somehow both shocked and amused. He scooped up a handful of snow and lobbed a ball of it at Richard. His aim was far better than the other man’s, and his snowball hit Richard right in the chest.

Richard stood stock-still, face expressionless, and for a moment Galavant worried he had been a bit too strong - but then Richard grinned and started throwing snow again. 

They lost track of time as they ran through Richard’s yard waging a cold, icy war on one another. Finally, though, Galavant knew he had to return home - Sid and Izzy would arrive any moment, or possibly already had, and he didn’t exactly want them to wonder where he was. “Right. I call a truce; we need to be getting back to my place now,” he said breathlessly. 

Richard was silent, and Galavant turned to face him. The other man’s cheeks and the tip of his nose were pink from the cold, and white snowflakes dusted his silvering curls. He was watching Galavant intently, and it was simultaneously uncomfortable and captivating to be caught in his gaze; standing there in the softly falling snow, it almost felt more like a dream than reality.

Then Richard moved forward, just a few slow - almost hesitant - steps, unwinding his scarf from around his neck and holding either end in each hand. And then he tossed it ever so gently around Galavant, used the scarf to pull him close, and pressed a kiss to his lips.

At first, Galavant didn’t react, lost in a confusing, dreamy haze of snow and cold air and soft warm lips and rushing heartbeats. But then his instincts kicked in - not to pull away, or to run, but to lean into the kiss and to return it gently.

It seemed like ages before they stepped away from one another, though it was only but a few moments. At first, they said nothing, only staring at each other in silence. Then Richard broke into a smile and all but chirped, “I know the way.” He tramped away through the snow, and Galavant - still mildly stunned - followed close behind.

Sure enough, when they got there, Izzy and Sid had already let themselves inside. They were only mildly surprised to see Richard there - apparently Izzy had guessed that Galavant would invite Richard in the end. 

The evening was a wonderful one; everyone had fun. Games were played, films were watched, food was eaten, and conversations meandered aimlessly until everyone was far too sleepy to stay awake much longer.

Sid and Izzy retreated to the guest rooms - and Galavant realised too late that there was a problem. And this problem was that he was on the sofa, and Richard was already asleep, head resting on Galavant’s shoulder.

There was also the fact that Galavant had no other spare guest rooms.

He tried to shake Richard awake, but to no avail. He couldn’t sleep on the sofa - it wasn’t exactly the warmest or most comfortable of places. And if he wasn’t awake, he couldn’t exactly go home.

So Galavant did the only thing he could do. He being fairly strong (and Richard being fairly light and delicate-boned) carefully gathered the dozing Richard into his arms and carried him to the master bedroom. 

It was only for tonight; Richard was half-drunk from the wine and would no doubt sleep all night. Sid and Izzy would probably leave early the next morning, meaning no one would ever know that Galavant had allowed his friend to share his bed - he was a friend, nothing more, after all. (But what about the kiss? a little voice whispered before being abruptly silenced.)

Galavant climbed into bed on the opposite side from Richard, as far as he could possibly get. But before he could drift off into slumber, he heard Richard mumble something - and then felt a long arm drape over his shoulder, and a warm body press against his. Someone - and by someone, that would be Richard - nuzzled his face against the back of Galavant’s neck. 

Galavant froze. But it wasn’t at all uncomfortable; in fact, the innocent closeness and the radiating warmth was a bit relaxing. Eventually, he drifted off to sleep, pleasantly trapped in Richard’s embrace.


End file.
